King Roger of Contè
by youdontneedtoknow
Summary: Tortall is falling apart with Roger as the king. Alanna is on a mission to save the kingdom from Roger's corruption, and to put the real king back on the throne. ::Incomplete, Will Not Be Completed::
1. King Roger

_Note: (3/24/05) Looking over this story more than a year later has caused see that this is in serious need of revision before I'll ever continue it, so if you ever thought I would update, chances are I won't._

Disclaimer: I unfortunately own almost none of the following characters and wouldn't dare to take credit for them. They all belong to Tamora Pierce.

Author's Note: This is my first fanfic ever, so please don't be too harsh. Flames are appreciated as long as you don't criticize ME, just the story. Oh yeah, sorry if anyone has already thought of this, I was too lazy to check a whole bunch of stories to see if anyone's done this. So if you have and you see this, I am NOT trying to copy your story. Oh yeah, if you see any grammatical errors, please tell me. My pet peeve is seeing things spelled wrong or when I forget a comma or something.

Roger sat upon his throne, his sapphire eyes glistening. At last he had become King of Tortall, and all were to obey him. Him, and only him. Unfortunately, his young cousin was nowhere to be found. He and that pesky Lioness of his had disappeared the night of his failed coronation, leaving his people to fight Roger alone.

Alexander of Tirragen stepped toward Roger, disrupting his thoughts. Dressed in the Tirragen colors of black and purple, his clothes crumpled as he bowed low before his King. "Your Majesty, you sent for me?" he inquired.

"No Alex, I have not, but there is something you can do for me. Go fetch a palace scribe; there is a royal decree that I need him to write." King Roger told him.

"Right away, King Roger." Alex smirked as he ran to the room where the palace scribes were. He knew what sort of decree his new king would write. He reveled in fulfilling the wishes of his king, delighted in serving him, instead of that stuck up Jon. Jon would have made an awful king, too inexperienced in the ways a kingdom would function. He entered the scribes' room and selected a young scribe for King Roger.

The scribe hurried to follow Alex back to the throne room, hiking up his robes as they went along. Alex admitted him to the room, and waited for further instruction from Roger.

"Stay here Alex; I need for you to give this to a palace herald when I am finished." King Roger commanded. The scribe took out his feather quill and ink jar, and set them down on the floor while he put a short roll of parchment on his tablet. He picked up the quill, dipped it in the ink, and poised it to write.

"Here you all," Roger began, "Anyone found to be housing Prince Jonathan or Alanna the Lioness will be sentenced to torture, followed by death by beheading on Traitor's Hill. If found to be housing any ring leaders of this group, including the younger Sir Gareth of Naxen, Sir Myles of Olau, Sir Raoul of Goldenlake, or Princess Thayet jian Wilima they will be sentenced to exile afer torture." He paused, then continued, "If anyone has information about any of the people just mentioned, they will be awarded five gold nobles for their information, and ten more if they are captured. The reward for turning in Jonathan or Alanna will be one hundred gold nobles." He nodded to the scribe. "That is all."

Orange fire came from King Roger's hand, enveloping the parchment. The ink instantly dried, and the paper rolled up on its own accord. It rose into the air, and Alex caught it. "I'll take this, your Majesty, unless you have better use for me?"

"No Alex, take it." Roger answered him. He turned to face the scribe. "You are dismissed."

Both of them bowed to the king, and exited the throne room. Alex carried the letter down to a royal herald, who immediately set off to proclaim his message.

George sat in his room at the Dancing Dove, practicing his kicks and punches at a lifeless dummy. He heard a knock at his door, and opened it a slit, keeping a knife grasped in his hand and another one at his belt. A haggard old woman with a shawl draped along her face stood outside his door, leaning on an old gnarled cane.

George quickly ushered the woman in, and closed and locked the door. He checked to make sure the shutters were closed, and said to her, "Lass, what are you doing here? The city's not safe right now, so soon after Roger's coronation. His supporters could have spotted you, and that would have bought you an early death upon Traitor's Hill!"

The woman pulled off her shawl and stood straight, revealing bright copper colored hair and vivid purple eyes. "Oh, George, I've missed you so much. You don't know how hard it's been, having to live in hiding all of the time. We're all miserable in hiding."

"I'm sorry for seeming so unenthusiastic to see you lass, but Corus isn't safe, especially here. Claw's supporters are still here, spying on me to make sure I'm not in contact with you or Jon, and he's reporting back to Roger."

Suddenly George stood straighter; his ears cocked almost like a dog's. He whispered, "Put your shawl back on."

Alanna did so, and pulled a small sword from its sheath at her belt. George grabbed two long knives and held them both in one hand, and opened the door with the other. The he quickly put one knife in his free hand, and sprang upon the man in the hall way. Within seconds the man was injured and running away from George as fast as he could. George tackled him and killed him. He frisked the man and found a letter addressed to Claw.

Pulling it out, he read the contents. The only information was the man was telling Claw that of course he would spy on George for him. George laughed to himself at this man's foolish underestimating of the King of Thieves. He should have known that George had enough Sight to tell when he was being spied upon. He dashed back to his room to find Alanna sitting on his bed.

She shook her head; she didn't need to know what had happened. She already knew that a man had been spying on George again. As they sat in a rare moment of silence between them, hoof beats sounded from outside. George flung open the window, pushing Alanna down out of sight. A royal herald sat on horse, not far from his window. He cleared his throat and read from the scroll he was holding. At hearing his decree being announced, George and Alanna gasped with shock.

"Great Mother Goddess!" Alanna quietly exclaimed, "I didn't know my head was worth that much!" She laughed without humor. "Do you think it is because of my lovely violet eyes, or my exquisite copper hair?"

"It's not something to joke about, lass." George said quietly. He turned his back on her. He paced the room, thinking hard. "Now there's even more reason for you to stay away from here. I want you gone from here by tomorrow at sun down." He walked back to her, grasping her fingers in his own. "Promise me, Alanna that you won't come back here for a long, long time."

Alanna scowled. "I'll try George, I'll try."


	2. Fleeing of the Coronation

Disclaimer: Yeah, I'm not TP, we all know it, and I'm not an idiot enough to claim I own her characters. But who really cares? Does anyone care if I don't put a disclaimer in? No one? Really? Okay then, on with the story!

Author's Note: I updated this chapter a bit. See if you can spot the (small, but important) change! Thanks to Robinwyn for pointing out the mistake for me. It gets a little more involved in the next chapter.

Alanna stayed in George's room for the next twenty four hours. He had to bring her food up from the Dancing Dove in small portions, so that no one would wonder why George was eating so much. Still, though, George had to be extra careful with Claw's followers around. He couldn't trust anyone at this point.

George and Alanna sat down next to each other on George's bed. Alanna stood up again as purple fire shot out of her hand and settled on the door. Within seconds it vanished without a trace. "For eavesdroppers." Alanna muttered, as George gave her an inquisitive look. She settled back on the bed, and George turned toward her, an odd look on his face.

"Why exactly did you all leave the coronation as soon as Roger started the attacks? I thought you had more courage than-." he started, but Alanna interrupted him.

"Don't say it George. I don't need you to think we're all a bunch of worthless old fools with the rest of the court. Half the court is glad that Roger ascended the throne. They knew that Jon wouldn't be able to withstand any major attacks." she said, glaring at him spitefully, as if daring him to say otherwise.

"Then why did you? I do believe you could have bested Roger without having to flee," he asked, regretful as he scolded himself for voicing the very thing he knew would unleash Alanna's temper, "Jon certainly has enough supporters to stop Roger from murdering us all. We almost did win, but without Jon to hold the land together with the help of the Dominion Jewel, palace crumbled. It's a miracle that even I got out alive." George stared at the ceiling, fighting back his urge to cry. Many of his friends had been inside the palace when it collapsed. A lot of them had fled at the beginning, but there were the others.

_Flash back to the coronation day_:

The earth began shaking. People screamed and ran everywhere as men in the colors of Tirragen and Eldorne rushed in, slaughtering people and shooting at Jonathan. Knights everywhere drew swords as the men charged to the front.

Buri ushered a shocked Thayet out of the palace doors as fast as she could get her. Thayet was her responsibility, and if anything happened to her, it would all be blamed upon Buri. As they fought their way through to the doors, a man dressed in purple and black, and grinning evilly, hacked his sword at Thayet. Thayet screamed, and fell to the floor. Buri drew her sword and hacked at the man, chopping him to pieces with a kind of maniacal force. She picked Thayet up off the floor, and struggled to make it to the door. Sir Raoul of Goldenlake appeared out of nowhere, taking Thayet out of Buri's arms. They both rushed out to the city, shouting for a healer.

Meanwhile, Alanna stood at the alter with Jon and Liam, fighting the Tirragen and Eldorne men as they attempted to run Jon down. Arrow after arrow whizzed by, none of them reaching Jonathan. Alanna handed him the Dominion Jewel during a break in between men rushing at her. He grabbed it as he tossed his sword down, and started chanting in strange tongue.

"Singulus ager, singulus ductor," he began, "Ascio ager, ambo adsumo." Jon opened his eyes, and then a panicked expression came upon his face. Nothing had happened! Jon quickly gave up, and stuffed the gem into his pocket. He picked his sword up off the ground where he had thrown it, and began to fight once again.

Alanna fiercely slashed and ripped at the attackers. She had to fight for her life, and Jonathan's. As the men began to surround them, Alanna realized they had little choice. They had to run, or be hacked to pieces by the swordsman, or women, as Alanna realized Delia of Eldorne and Princess Josiane of the Copper Isles were among those carrying swords. She yelled for Jon to follow, and they ran off into they city, with a growing number of friends joining them. As they left the building, it began to crumble, the pieces of the ceiling falling in, and the sound of people screaming as they were crushed to death rose above the other sounds of the battle.

George stopped fighting and looked up. The ceiling was falling upon him and all of those around him. He ran out of the building into the streets of Corus, running as fast as he could to the Dancing Dove. He knew he would not be betrayed there, all of thieves still followed the law of the thieves. Besides, Claw's men wouldn't turn him in, as dumb as they all were, they would obey Claw, and Claw would be smart enough to keep him around to spy upon.

George went up to his room and closed the door. He plopped down on the bed and began to cry.

_Returning to the Present_:

"George, I'm sorry we all ran. We weren't trying to abandon you. It's just that, we really didn't really have a chance. You knew it as well as I did." Alanna tried to console her friend as she saw his face go blank as he remembered the horrors of the aftermath of coronation day. "I can't imagine what you had to go through."

George turned away from her as tears began to fall from his face again. He didn't tell Alanna that he had sneaked back to the palace to observe the damage. Bodies had lain everywhere, more men dressed in mourning colors from the death of the former king and queen than of men in the Tirragen and Eldorne colors. George had brought the bodies back of his friends to bury them just outside of Corus, rather than have them be burned as traitors on Traitor's Hill. He began sobbing as he thought about those lost that day.

Author's Other Note: If you want to know what Jon was saying, you'll have to guess. (Hint: It's in poorly/loosely translated Latin! Find a website to translate it! If you can't figure it out, email me.)


	3. George Remembers

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Author's Note: Okay, I take back what I said. Don't flame me, but criticism is fine, as long as you don't mean it to be nasty. Thank you to Robinwyn for the excellent advice. I'll be sure to use it to my advantage.

* * *

"Tell me what happened, George," Alanna gently pried. "I need to know."

George looked up. He watched as her violet eyes filled with tears, though she tried to brush them away. "I couldn' fall asleep that night. I'm sure you couldn't either. . ." he fell into his tale, getting lost in his memories as he related the story to her. . .

George drifted through the streets of Corus rather aimlessly. He couldn't sleep, and he couldn't stop thinking about the coronation. He knew he should have stayed in bed with his mind digressing, because it made him so vulnerable to attacks by his rivaling thieves. But he didn't care; his sorrow far exceeded his logic.

His wanderings finally brought him to the front of the palace. It was still littered with the bodies of his friend and foes, mingled together in one heap of bodies. He began to sift through the piles, lifting up slabs of stone which had fallen from the palace ceiling. Under one of the larger stone slabs he found something that confused him. Marek, his friend and long time rival, lay under the stone. George let out a cry of shock, his sobs echoing through the remains of the palace. Marek wasn't even supposed to be at the coronation! He must have come by when he heard the commotion, too curious for his own good. He carried Marek to the front and laid him down upon the ground, and returned back to the palace.

He made his way through the sea of bodies to the front alter, the last place he had seen Alanna. He sat upon the alter and thought, not in words, but in emotions. Hate rose up inside him to replace the grief. Tortall would have been a wonderful kingdom under Jonathan, and Roger had ruined the Utopia that had been forming in George's mind.

He thought he heard a noise and turned his head. A mournful sound pierced the air, coming from something animal-like. He glanced upon the floor, and stopped crying. Faithful was swaggering toward him, his hind leg mangled. His midnight fur was covered in a thick coat of dried blood. He collapsed at George's feet, mewing pitifully.

_George, I'm sorry this happened. I should have warned Alanna, but I couldn't. I was busy trying to stop him, _Faithful meowed.

"It's okay." George told the cat, "It's not your fault that this happened. So what exactly were you doing?"

_I was spying on Roger. I finally found out why Jonathan couldn't hold the land together with the Dominion Jewel_.

"What happened?" George sighed. "I knew something had gone wrong!"

The jewel Alanna carried was a fake. Roger stole the real one! He used Thom's magic to summon it to him. That's why Thom is so ill right now. His magic has been corrupted by the evilness of Roger.

George moaned. "How in the name of Mithros did this happen? We shouldn't have told the court that Alanna had the Dominion Jewel!"

_It is too late now. Tell Alanna what went wrong_. With that, Faithful ceased his breathing. George picked him up and began to carry him outside. He stumbled over a body, and looked down to see who it was.

It was the Shang Dragon. George laid Faithful on top of him and carried the both of them to the front of the palace. There he laid them both down next to Marek, and wiped the tears that were now blurring his vision.

We ran back to the Dancing Dove's barn. He hitched a cart up to a pony which had woken up when he had staggered into the stables. They trotted rather loudly back to the palace and he loaded the bodies of his friends into the cart.

He forced the pony to the edge of city and up into the hill overlooking the beautiful town of Corus. When he reached the top, he collected braches and dry leaves and piled them up. He placed his friends upon the pyre and set it aflame with a quick swipe of flint. He bowed his head, and sat there next to the funeral pyre until dawn broke upon the streets of Corus.

The King of Thieves sat back down on the cart, and rode back down into the city he called home.


	4. The Horse's Tail And Other Things

"Alanna, you need to go. Now, as soon as it's dark. They'll catch you for sure. Claw probably already knows that you're here." George straightened as he wiped his eyes. "I'll come with you."

"No, George, you can't. We need someone who can stay here if we want to get Roger off the throne. Who better do we have than you to spy on Roger for us?" Alanna told asked him.

"I guess you're right." George's mouth pulled into a grim line. "I'll set our smilin' friend straight!"

"That's the spirit." Alanna gave him a weak smile.

They both stared out the window as the sun began to set in the streets of Corus. It drifted out of sight, painting the city in shades of pinks and oranges. Alanna sighed, and looked away from the window just as the sun disappeared on the horizon. "Mithros, I'll miss this city. I get the feeling that I won't be coming back here for a while."

George pulled Alanna up into a hug. The held together for a few seconds, and pulled away. "I'll miss you Alanna." George whispered, as he wiped at the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. "Gods all bless."

Alanna grabbed her bags and cane and walked out of the room, pulling her shawl up over her hair. She hobbled out the door, and turned. "Goodbye, George," she hesitated, and then added, "I love you." She turned and left, before he could see her face turning as red as her hair.

George smiled. "I love you too, Alanna." he whispered into the night.

Alanna hurried to the stables. She pulled a small bottle of black dye from her bags, and worked it into the spots on her horse that had begun to regain their golden sheen. She saddled Moonlight quickly, barely stopping to breathe. She hitched her bags up to her horse, moving as quickly as she could. She swung herself onto Moonlight, and they trotted out of the stable.

It was already black as midnight, though the sun had barely set. The moon shone brightly over the city. Stars twinkled down on Moonlight and her rider as they made their way to the outskirts of Corus towards the forest there.

Alanna slowed Moonlight down as they entered the forest. The branches of the trees overhead were comforting. She felt safe, though her gut still told her to be wary of thieves and bandits that could be camping out nearby, or waiting to spring upon a lone traveler. She grabbed out at her sword, just to make sure it was still there and within reasonable reach.

An owl swooped over her head, breaking the silence of the forest with its low cry. Moonlight started, and then took off along the path. Alanna pulled on the reins as hard as she could, but her normally fully contained horse was out of control. Moonlight galloped through the forest, gathering speed and momentum as she went. She began to slide from the saddle, clutching to the reins for her life.

Alanna gave a final tug on the reins, before Moonlight slowed down enough for Alanna to slide back into place on the saddle. She glanced around to see how far they had gotten from where they had started. The last place they were was nowhere in sight, but this part of the forest was familiar to Alanna. She knew of a clearing up ahead where she and Moonlight could rest at.

Her horse definitely needed a break as soon as possible. Moonlight was panting; her once black dyed coat was just making her look dirty and unkempt and black sweat dripped from her body. Alanna dismounted to ease Moonlight's burden, and led her horse to where she remembered the clearing was.

When she was one hundred yards short of the clearing, she saw something that made her head spin. She heard laughing and singing, and the smell of cooking venison hovered in the air. From the spot where the clearing was, she saw a huge fire, surrounded by men. They were all sitting on various riffraff, everything from old stumps and logs, to overturned buckets that looked like they were used for laundry.

Alanna groaned as she surveyed the scene. She had almost walked straight into a bandit camp! She pulled Moonlight towards her in a thick patch of trees, and Moonlight began to whinny at the tug at the reins. Alanna quieted her, and looked out again at the bandit camp. She weighed her options. She could go back to where she was earlier and camp out there, but that seemed too dangerous. The band of rogues could be on their way to Corus to consort with the Court of the Rogue who presided there. No, her best bet was to hold them with her magic for as long as she could, and then make a mad dash to the edge of the forest.

She quickly used a little bit of her magic to water her horse down a bit. She swung onto Moonlight's back, and urged her forward to a gallop. A sentry for the camp yelled out an alarm, and various things whizzed past her. She saw a few arrows, but mostly knives and cooking utensils. She held a hand up from the reins of her horse, and violet fire poured forth. It enveloped the camp, creating a barrier between them and her. She slowed Moonlight to a stop.

She poured forth more of her magic into it as the stunned bandit camp gazed at her in awe. A few tried to blast at the barrier with their own untrained magic, but they were unsuccessful. She sealed off the barrier so that it would last a good fifteen minutes, and spurred Moonlight back to a gallop. Though exhausted, horse and rider hurtled through the forest, at a faster pace than they had been before. They finally burst forth from the trees, and Alanna began her descent down from the hill.

An old inn lay at the bottom of the hill. Though a trained mage would be able to see through an illusion, she poured the rest of her magic into disguising herself and Moonlight. She tucked her shawl into her saddle bags; its roughness had begun to irritate her skin. Alanna had become strawberry blonde young woman with blue eyes, and Moonlight was a pinkish roan mare. Though her own disguise was not very good, she knew that if she didn't get the proper rest she needed she would let down Jonathan and his faithful supporters.

She led Moonlight up to the door of the inn with a sign bearing the name "The Horse's Tail." A plump, older woman opened the door when she gave a loud knock. "Ya poor dear! Whatever has ya up so late this hour? It's okay, Connal here will take yer horse for ya." She gestured for a young teenage boy, half-asleep on a stool at the table. Alanna removed her bags from Moonlight, working to unclasp them as her tired fingers fumbled with the buckle. At last the buckle released, and she gathered her bags up in her arms. Connal got up and walked to the door, taking the reins from Alanna. He gave her a sleepy grin.

"That's a beautiful horse ya got their miss, if ya don't mind me saying." he said to her, as he turned to lead Moonlight to the barn. "Does she prefer oats er hay?"

"Hay's fine, young man." She gave him a small smile, and turned back to the plump woman. The woman grabbed Alanna's wrist, and pulled her inside. The warmth of the inn embraced Alanna, rejuvenating her body slightly.

"Don't think I introduced meself, the name's Bella. Bella Waterford. I'm the innkeeper here. Connal's my grandson, a fine boy if there ever was one." Evidently this kindly lady was fiercely proud of her grandson. Alanna surmised that she had better keep her stay at the inn very brief, if she didn't want the entire village to know that Bella Waterford had a visitor to her inn. She quickly made up an explanation.

"My name is Silvia, and I live back in Corus. I was out for a ride in the woods, when I lost control of my horse. She was spooked by a rabbit, I think, that darted across the path. It's too late to go back now, not with bandits lurking everywhere." Alanna felt bad for lying to this friendly old woman, but it was necessary for her safety, and the safety of Jonathan and his supporters. She hoped the woman wouldn't suspect anything as Alanna blushed, her face turning as red as her hair used to be.

"Right you are bout' them bandits. The place is swarmin' with them. I wish that the new king would do something bout' them, but I guess he has a lot on his hands now." Alanna perked up at the mention of Roger. She was eager to get any news from those people who were impartial toward the new king and his circle of followers.

Bella continued, "Don't mind me sayin' so, but that King Roger is bad news. That poor lad Jonathan would have done a much better job, him carin' for us common folk and all. I hear Roger sits on his throne all day, barely liftin' a finger, 'cept to cast magic on those who disagree with him."

Alanna nodded her agreement, then said, "It's been lovely talking to you, but I'd best be getting to bed. I have to wake up early if I want to get back to Corus before my parents are worried. Ma's so protective of me, I probably won't get to ride out by myself again after the scare she's having now."

The old woman chuckled, "Right ya are there, dearie. If anything like that happened to Connal, I wouldn't let him outta my sight 'til I'm dead and buried. Come up here, dear, I have a couple extra rooms."

Alanna and Bella walked up the wooden staircase. A row of rooms lay at the top. Bella pulled a set of keys from her apron, and slid a key off. She handed it to Alanna after opening the door for her. "Make sure ya don't lose that key. If ya wake up early and leave before we're all awake, leave the door open and put the key on that chair over there."

Alanna peered into the small room. The ceiling was low enough that it would skim the top of any of her knight friends' heads, but not her. The room was bare, except for a small bed, a chamber pot, and a chair. A small, dirty window lay above the bed, an unlit candle in the sill. Alanna said goodnight to Bella, and closed the door. She would have lit the candle with her magic, but there was almost none left. She removed her disguise, and dropped her travel bags. With the last of her strength she crawled into bed.

Alanna awoke late the next morning. She berated herself for sleeping when there was much to be done, but what was done was done. She pulled off her clothes from the day before, and pulled on fresh ones from her bags. She pulled a brush through her tangled red hair, and pulled it back with a violet ribbon. She walked to the door, and almost pulled it open. She stopped herself just in the nick of time. She had almost forgotten to magic up her disguise!

Alanna summoned her magic to her, willing it to envelop her with her previous disguise. Her body momentarily regained the blonde, blue eyed form, then her disguise flickered and died. Alanna wailed a cry of disdain. She sighed, and pulled her shawl from her bags once again. She wrapped her hair into a bun, out of sight once her shawl was on. She resolved to look no one in the face as she pulled a few silver nobles from her purse. She left them and the key on the bed, and hurried out the door, bags in hand. She made her way quickly down the steps.

When she reached the bottom, she stifled another sigh. Bella was already there, working on something in the kitchen, with plain view of the whole room. Alanna walked past, muttering, "The money and key are on the bed. No time to talk." Bella hurried around the counter to stop her, but Alanna made a dash for the door. Connal was sitting on the chair by the door, absorbed in reading a thick novel, with a picture of a horse on the front. He muttered, without looking up from the book, "Leave her be, Grandmother. She's in a hurry." To Alanna, he said, "Yer horse is in the stables."

Alanna thanked him as she opened the door to the inn. She found the stables at the back of the barn. Moonlight's disguise was still on. Alanna muttered darkly about stupid magic that wore itself out for stupid things, and took the spell off. She rubbed Moonlight down with the black ink again as her magical strength returned to her. Alanna wiped her hands down in a pail full of water by the barn door. She then returned to her task of saddling her horse. She hitched the bags on faster than she had taken them off the night before, and led Moonlight to the door. They walked through, and then closed the doors behind them. She mounted up, and urged Moonlight to a trot.

By daylight, the country was beautiful. Alanna urged Moonlight to a gallop, and stopped at regular intervals for her to rest. It was a beautiful day, a few clouds drifting over a shamelessly sapphire sky. The sun warmed her, but it wasn't excruciatingly hot. Alanna wished that she could be warming up in the practice courts with Raoul or Gary, but that was impossible. She grinned without humor at her depressing day dream.

She spent most of the day on horseback. At midday she stopped by a nearby stream she found. She used the trickle of magic that had returned to her for checking the stream for impurities. Finding none, she led Moonlight to the water as both of them drank from it. Alanna sat on the stone bank, and pulled out a piece of jerky from her bags. She chewed it thoughtfully, staring out into the cerulean

She glanced down the long stretch of road. Finding no travelers in sight, she removed her shawl from her hair, letting it fall from the bun upon her shoulders. She looked up at the sky once more, reveling in the warmth of its glow. She washed her face in the stream, washing away the uncomfortable feeling the shawl had left on her face and ears.

Alanna saw a flash of movement in the forest on the other side of the stream and looked up. A doe stood in the clearing. Alanna saw the fear in the young dears amber eyes, and followed her gaze. A rider galloped down the road, a brigade of soldiers on horseback followed close behind. Alanna gasped, and grabbed Moonlight's reins. The doe vanished back into the forest, as quietly as she had come. Alanna and Moonlight, crossed the stream, Alanna shivering as the water soaked her up to her knees.

She and Moonlight walked deeper and deeper into the forest, Alanna never looking away from the road. When they were far enough that Alanna couldn't decipher the road from a branch on the tree, she left Moonlight and crept back to the spot on the banks. She was dimly aware that she had left her shawl on the bank.

As the bank itself loomed into view, Alanna stifled a moan. The soldiers camped out on the bank, already starting to set up camp. She noticed a soldier had already claimed her shawl, using the worn down old thing as a cloth to polish his boots with. She crept stealthily back to Moonlight, her head spinning with what she had seen.

She apologized to her horse for leaving er, and led her deeper into the forest. She hitched Moonlight up to a tree, and started to make camp. She rolled out her bedroll and dug a latrine trench with a small spade she had rolled up in an old cloth. It was too risky to make a fire, so Alanna ate stale biscuits and fed Moonlight an old apple. Moonlight sniffed in disgust, but greedily devoured the apple anyway.

Alanna brushed Moonlight down, thinking as she stroked. If she was to get back to Jonathan soon without being caught, she would have to sneak past the brigade unnoticed. There was no telling how long the soldiers would set up camp, and if they were after Jonathan and the rest she would have to warn them. She resolved to sneak out in the middle of the night.

She patted Moonlight on the nose, and told her to get some sleep. The horse gave a soft whinny of agreement, and closed her eyes, breathing deeply as her large horses' lungs would allow her. Alanna patted her again with approval, and made her way to her bedroll. She climbed inside, willing herself to asleep. She drifted off eventually, with the knowledge that if she didn't fall asleep, Jonathan could very well die.


	5. Soldiers

Alanna watched as Jonathan and Thayet sat down on a knotty wooden bench in a dank cellar. They smiled half-hearted smiles at each other, and then looked down at the table before them. It was bare except for a small piece of crumpled parchment, a clean sheet of parchment, and an ink jar and quill. Jonathan grasped the crumpled piece of parchment and began to read to himself. He gave a short gasp and dropped the letter. Thayet picked it up and read it fast, her eyes widening in shock. "They're dead. They're all dead." she whispered. She began to sob silently into Jon's shoulder.

Jonathan tried his best to ignore her as he grasped the quill and dipped it in the small ink bottle. His fingers moved slowly across the page, shaking as he wrote. At the sound of a large thud, the quill fell from his hand and splattered the already dirty table with ink. A scream of fright sounded from above. Thayet stopped sobbing as she struggled to hear what was being said.

"Where are they, man? I know they're here!" a loud booming voice was easily distinguished above the noise of breaking dishes and a woman's cries of outrage. They couldn't here the reply. "What! You don't know who I'm talking about! Don't play stupid, you pig. We have evidence that you're hiding Prince Jonathan and Princess Thayet! If you refuse to tell us where they are, we'll have to find them OUR way."

Thayet screamed as a stream of light poured from the top of the stairs in their cellar. Men appeared in the doorway and on the staircase, yelling cries of triumph. Jonathan pushed Thayet under the table, and pulled a silver sword from its sheath. Old blood dulled the sheen of the sword, making a bedraggled Jon and his bloody sword a frightening sight indeed. Men advanced towards him and Thayet. Alanna watched in horror as first Jon was cut down, his body falling to pieces on the floor, and then how Thayet died with a knife stabbed through her back as a soldier snuck up on her. Neither of them made a sound as they fell to the floor, their lifeless eyes staring off into the dark of the night.

Alanna woke with a start, sweating terribly and her face wet with tears. She shook herself awake, and brushed the tears off her face. "Just a dream," she thought, "It was all just a stupid dream."

Still somewhat shaken, Alanna climbed out of her bedroll and folded it up. She gently awoke Moonlight, and gave her an apple covered in brown spots as a reward. Moonlight blew on the apple in disgust on yet another lousy meal, but took the treat anyway. Alanna tied the bedroll to the side of her horse, and grabbed a stale muffin that she had got from George out of her pack. As she bit into the blueberry muffin, she covered the evidence of her campfire and all evidence that someone had been there with clumps of pine needles and leaves that lay all over the forest floor.

She decided to check out the soldier's camp, and wandered over to the stream's edge. All the soldiers were asleep, though some did not lay in bedrolls. Many were slumped on barrels and across the ground, most likely from too much to drink the night before. Alanna wished them the worst of hangovers before spitting on the ground in disgust. She looked around the camp for sentries, but laughed to herself as she realized they were all asleep! She kept one eye on the camp as she filled her canteen with water from the stream.

Once her canteen was full, she wandered back to her campsite. She took a swig of her canteen before untying Moonlight from the thin birch tree. She led Moonlight back near to where the stream was, but kept out of view. The moon shone over head, and stars sparkled like a sea of diamonds overhead. Alanna bit her lip as she recalled the last night she remembered to be as beautiful as this one. Her seventeenth birthday had been interesting indeed.

Shaking away the memories from her head, Alanna concentrated on walking straight. When at last she thought she had reached a fair distance from the soldiers, she led Moonlight close to the stream. Alanna cursed under her breath as she realized her stream was not quite a stream here. It had become a full-fledged, raging river, the water frothing and coursing away from her. She decided to keep walking to see f she would ever reach a bridge. She discovered that where she was walking was well worn, and chose to ride along the river's bank instead of walking it. She mounted up, and urged Moonlight to a trot.

At last the came to a sturdy stone bridge, just wide enough to admit a horse and rider. She crossed with ease, and then made her way to the main road. Moonlight galloped down the road without Alanna's urging, kicking dust up into the sky. Alanna's heart beat faster, and blood pounded through her body. For the first time in quite awhile, Alanna was happy. It felt so good to be riding this fast, and evidently her horse didn't seem to mind it. The night air chilled both of them, as they sped down the country lanes, passing numerous farms and inns.

Alanna came to a stop before a very small inn. It bore an illegible sign, but the picture on it was unmistakable: a sword dripping with blood. And indeed that was the name of the inn: The Bloody Sword. Alanna shuddered as she remembered the awful dream that had awoken her. She dismounted and walked up to the door of the inn. She knocked three times, then once softly.

The door slid open a crack, revealing a timid eye, at a level even lower than Alanna's waist. A child's voice called out, and another eye appeared. A gasp sounded, and the door opened all of the way. A burly man appeared at the door. Alanna cried out in delight: It was Coram!

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Author's Note: I have no comments. Goodbye, I'll miss you, I'll see you all next time I write another chapter! (PS: See, I have the muffin I promised you Maureen!) 


	6. Coram

Alanna reached out and pulled Coram into a tight hug. Coram looked a little surprised, but returned the gesture. "It's been so long that I thought ye were dead." Coram told her.

Alanna laughed, "Don't be silly, it's barely been two months since I last saw you." A look of concern crossed Alanna's face. "What brings you here?"

"Erm. Let's go ter find somewhere quieter ter talk." Alanna glanced around the inn's tavern. A few men sat gambling for sticks with a pair of worn dice. They were sitting at the other side of the room, but within definite hearing distance.

Alanna sighed. "Fine then. Hold on for a minute. She grabbed her bags off Moonlight, and called for someone to take her horse. A man appeared, and accepted the reins that Alanna handed to him. Alanna watched him from the corner of her eye as he walked to the stables. Alanna made a mental note to herself to reward her steed for her lack of sleep and incessant energy.

Alanna began to follow Coram across the room, eyeing the gamblers nervously as she walked by them. The gamblers looked up as Alanna and Coram passed by. Alanna was careful not to look any of them straight in the eye.

Coram pulled open a door that appeared to be for a closet or some thing. But no, when he opened it, it revealed a small room with a table and a few stools surrounding it. Coram took Alanna's bags and pulled up a chair for each of them as Alanna sealed the doorway to protect from eavesdroppers.

Flames of purple light appeared in the palms of her hands as Alanna muttered a few unfamiliar words. She turned her palms down, then closed her eyes. Sweat appeared at her brow as the light traveled from her hands to the door. The door shimmered briefly with amethyst fire, then faded to its usual cast or old wood. Alanna turned to face Coram, who had turned slightly pale. "Well, you don't want those old drunks listening to us and reporting me to Roger, do you?" she asked, "I don't know if you've heard, but Roger has issued a warrant worth one hundred gold nobles for me and fifteen for any of my friends." She laughed darkly. "That includes YOU, Coram. You may not be a so-called 'ringleader' of Prince Jonathan's supporters, but I'm sure that Roger would be willing to pay money to find even you."

Coram rolled his eyes at her overreaction to his dislike of magic. "I'm not saying that sealin' the door isn't a good idea, but you still can't make me ter like that cursed gift of yers." He sat down and offered the chair next to him for Alanna. She sat down next to him, frowning.

"So why ARE you here, of all places" She asked him, wondering why he would be staying at the Bloody Sword.

"Thayet and Jon aren't here anymore. Jon was scryin' and saw a brigade of soldiers comin,' so him and Thayet left. We passed them on the"

Alanna interrupted him, "What do you mean WE Coram? Who are you hear with?"

Coram started again. "Thom. Yer brother is very ill Alanna. His magic is bein' drained even more by Roger."

Alanna grew pale. "I thought Thom was dead. How in the name of Mithros did you get him out of the palace? Roger would have made him stay and look up spells for him to control the kingdom with."

"I didn't get him out. He left himself. That's why he's dyin,' he used all the strength in him to get out of there. I'm surprised he isn't dead yet, but Duke, I mean, King Roger didn't need to suck up all of his magic to take over. I'm not too sure about details, though, but that's all I could understand from Thom's babbling on about magic gates an' that Dominion Jewel." Coram spoke fast, attempting to speak quietly, but it came out to a dull rumble.

Alanna sighed. "At least he's alive. He might know more about how Duke Roger took the Dominion Jewel from my possession. Where is he, Coram?"

"He's upstairs." Coram cringed as Alanna's purple eyes glared down upon him. "I'm sorry I didn't bring you up to him right away, but I needed to tell you about his. situation. Yer not goin' ter like the looks of him Alanna. You needed to be warned." Coram grabbed Alanna's arm as she attempted to stand and leave the room. "I'm not finished talkin' ter ya yet."

Alanna sat down and folded her arms, looking like a cross child. "Don't give me that look. Anyways, as I was sayin' earlier, I had to come to the Bloody Sword because I knew I would run into you eventually, probably sometime soon. You need to talk to Thom, and I know he won't trust me with anything of major importance."

Alanna nodded. She knew how closed off to the rest of the world Thom was. She was surprised he even talked to Coram about the matters he had already told her. "If that's all, can I please go up and see him?"

Coram sighed in exasperation. "There's no winnin' with you. Fine, follow me up ter his room." He handed her her bags as he stood up and walked to the door, Alanna close behind. He attempted to pull open the door, and let out a loud cry of surprise as his hand was zapped by purple flames that seemed to come from the door. He glared at Alanna.

Alanna grinned sheepishly at him. "Sorry. I sealed it against intruders. Apparently it works both ways." She took a few steps closer to the door, and placed her one hand upon it. The door didn't zap her. She closed her eyes and summoned the magic from the door back to her. She looked up again, and saw the remains of the purple light fading. Coram tried the door again, and to his relief, it opened without further hassle. Alanna followed him, convinced he was intentionally dragging his feet.

Coram led her to the stairs of the inn, near the front door. Alanna walked briskly, trying to keep up with Coram's long strides. They hustled up the rickety stairs, which creaked under even the light weight of Alanna. She kept her eyes on them, looking out for the signs of loose boards and prying with her gift for termite infestations. She grimaced as she realized that all the boards were rotting in some places or contained termite nests. She resigned herself to not look down, and gripped the handrail instead. Before she knew it, they were already at the top of the stairs.

Coram walked down to the last door of the hall, and pulled a key from his pocket. As he placed it in the lock, he began to speak. "I'll leave ye alone with yer brother. Ye need to catch up with him. I'll be waitin' for ye downstairs. Holler if ye need me." The door swung open. Alanna dropped her bags in surprise as she gazed down upon the deathly white face of her twin brother.

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Author's Note: Sorry about the delay. I have a different sort of writer's block. I have the ideas in my head, but I don't have the will to type them out. It takes me awhile to 'get in the mood' to write, and lately my brother decided that he likes to play on the computer more than he did before. So now I start to write, and I only get a few sentences or a paragraph out. Please forgive me, I will do all I can to keep updating more regularly. 


	7. Conversation with Thom

Alanna barely noticed as Coram closed the door behind her. "Mithros, Thom, you don't know how good it is to see you! I thought you were dead!" Alanna's voice broke as she struggled not to cry.

"Nottoofarfromit…" Thom muttered.

"What did you say?" Alanna demanded of him.

"Nothing, Alanna. I have to agree with you, I was worried about what you had gotten yourself into. It was easier when you were a roaming knight." Thom smiled bitterly. "Do you think that you would still be considered a knight, even now?"

"Once a knight, always a knight. I still uphold the code of chivalry, and I serve the true king of the realm." Thom chuckled at his sister's fierce loyalty to her leader.

"I doubt Roger thinks the same way." His laugh turned into a cough, similar to the bark of a hoarse dog. Alanna frowned, and then walked closer to his bed. She placed her hands on him saying, "You wouldn't mind, would you?"

Thom attempted to speak, but it came out as a strangled cough. Instead he shook his head, and grabbed a mug of water on the small bedside table. Alanna glanced at the table and winced. A vase of anemones, flowers thought to bring peace to those who were dying, were placed in a prominent position on the table. She plucked the flowers from the vase and threw them under the bed, grinding them under the heel of her boot. Alanna couldn't bring herself to the reality that her brother was dying, the only person left in the world of her own blood. So instead, she released her feelings on the flowers.

Thom finished drinking from the mug, and placed it back on its place upon the table. He glanced at the empty vase with a look of puzzlement, then shrugged and turned back to Alanna. "Wait until we finish talking to heal me. Yes, it hurts when I cough, but I'll be too exhausted if you heal me now to continue on with our wonderfully intellectual conversation." His voice still held that undeniable note of sarcasm. Alanna nodded as Thom began to speak again.

"I'm sorry things have been left unexplained for so long, but it was impossible for me to talk to you sooner. You see, I knew Roger had taken the Dominion Jewel from you." Alanna's eyes blazed in anger as she struggled to control her emotions. A dozen thoughts screamed in her head at once. She bit her lip, drawing blood, and pressed her boot harder against the anemones as she let her twin explain himself.

"I was under a silencing spell, but I am able to talk to you now. Roger used my magic to summon the Jewel to him, so I knew about it as soon as it happened. I confronted him. He placed the silencing spell on me, with my own magic. His magic still had not returned to him, so he leeched mine. I can tell you now, though, because Roger no longer uses my magic. My magic is so weak right now, that there is not even enough left to make the spell work." Thom smiled in a way that made Alanna shudder.

"Just think. Me, who many consider to be on the way to becoming the most powerful sorcerer to walk the kingdom of Tortall, is dying because of that same magic that caused me to get into this position." He smiled his awful smile at the cruel irony that was his existence.

"I'm sorry Thom." Alanna was at a loss for words at what to say to her twin's bitter outlook on his life. "I'm sorry for being unsympathetic, but I have to know: Can Roger use the Dominion Jewel?"

"Thank the gods, no. As soon as he stole the jewel, I burned all of the papers I had been working on for Jon. But first, I copied them over and hid them, so if Roger magically asked for the papers, I could honestly say I had burned them without feeling the wrath of the spell." Alanna grinned at her twin's brilliance. "And ask he did. You would have loved to see the look on his face when I told him that I had burned all of the papers. He was furious. He stormed through the library, and even attempted to use _my_ magic to resurrect them from the fire. I thought he might try that, too, so I burned them in a small bonfire outside.

"He might have made up some spells himself, but I doubt that the success rate of them is high. He was never good at improvising spells, especially considering that there is very little to look up about the Dominion Jewel." The expression on Thom's face changed to that of a self-satisfied smile. "I, on the other hand, had hundreds of spells created from what little I could find on the other instances when a ruler was in possession of it."

Alanna rolled her eyes at her twin's excessive cockiness. "Now where, exactly, are these spells hidden Thom?"

"You really expected me to leave them at the castle? They're here. There's only one problem…"

Alanna sighed. "What, Thom?"

Thom pointed to the vase next to the bed. "Umm. . . I transfigured it. I can't change the vase back into the papers, because of my lack of magic." Thom glanced around the room. "What happened to those flowers?"

Alanna shrugged, but her eyes drew to the spot where the now dead flowers lay. Thom followed her gaze. When he saw the crushed mess, he gritted his teeth, and frowned.

"Those flowers you ruined were part of the deal too. Since they are now mush on the floor, a _lot_ of those papers will be missing."

Alanna glanced at the mess under her foot. She grinned at Thom sheepishly, then gathered the heap into her hands, careful not to miss a single petal. She muttered a few words, and the sorry heap rearranged itself until it looked like the flowers had been freshly picked. "Sorry about that Thom. How was I supposed to know?"

Thom stared at her. "Where'd you learn _that_ fancy trick?" he asked Alanna, obviously impressed.

Alanna shrugged. "After the coronation, I got really angry. We were at an inn of some of Jon's faithful supporters, and I started to throw thing at the walls. Umm, the innkeeper's wife was kind of mad about that, but she was able to fix everything I had broken." Alanna grinned impishly. "I asked her what the spell she used was, in case I ever let my temper get the best of me again."

Thom chuckled. "The masters never bothered trying to teach us that one. I suppose it is similar to healing, is it not?"

Alanna nodded. "I guess I should have figured out how to do that by now, but no matter." He grinned, and a dull sparkle entered his eyes as he said, "And _I_ do not happen to be famed for sudden bursts of temper."

"Unless you want to count that whole 'bringing Roger back from the dead' thing," Alanna muttered, rolling her eyes.

"No, it wasn't. It was merely a demonstration of skills," Thom attempted to correct her.

Alanna snorted. She found the phrase 'demonstration of skills' a little too close to 'showing off.' Thom, you are such a prig. We all know Delia was making fun of you, and you _had_ to prove you were the best!"

Thom's pale face blushed to a feverish shade of pink. "Was not. Anyway, now that you have fixed the flower, transfigure it back to the papers. I would myself, but. . ." Thom sighed wistfully.

Alanna summoned her magic, careful not to call on too much power at once. She would be incapable of healing Thom if she used up all of her magic on transformation. She gathered the vase and flowers into her hands, and closed her eyes. She chanted under her breath, so it came out as a dull sort of murmur. Thom watched her face bunch up and begin to sweat with the complexity of the spell. He looked down at her hands, and stared as amethyst light transferred from her hands to the vase and flowers. They began to glow, emitting a soft violet light, that gradually turned bold and vibrant. They flattened out into thin sheets of parchment.

As the glow of the magic faded from the parchment, Thom picked up the stack. He quickly flipped through the pages, muttering under his breath. He reached the end of the stack, and looked up at Alanna. "They're all here. They're all yours." He handed the stack to Alanna. She took them from him and went to retrieve her bags from where she had dropped them. As she neatly packed them among her other possessions, Thom spoke to her. "Give them to Jon once you have possession of the Jewel."

"I know. Do you think that I should disguise it as something else?" Alanna told while finding a small space for the papers. She settled them into place, and walked back to Thom's bed.

"No, don't bother. If you're captured they'll just torture you for information anyways, so don't waste your strength." Thom was as frank as humanly possible.

Alanna shuddered at the thought of her capture, and of the truth of her twin's bluntness. If she went, everyone would go with her. "I guess that's true enough." She laid her hands upon her twin's forehead. "You've told me more than enough already." Purple lightning enveloped her hands, then spread to Thom's forehead. She healed his cough, and allowed him to drift into a natural sleep.

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Author's Note: I thank all of you who reviewed! Special thanks to PsychoLioness13 for her help on formatting! And please, take note of this: If you have never written a story before, we writers REALLY love to have reviews, even if you are criticizing. (As long as it is "constructive" criticism.) And to all of you who DO write, you know the feeling. If you review my story, there is a big chance that I will do the same to yours. Think about it! 


	8. In Leaving

Alanna watched as Thom fell asleep. She felt his pain, and knew he wouldn't awaken for hours after that healing. She quietly took her bags and put them in a corner. Alanna walked out of the room, and went downstairs to join Coram.

She found him sitting at a round wooden table, alone. He had a mug of mead in one hand, and a letter in the other. He glanced up at her, and folded the other. Tucking it into his pocket, he asked her "How'd it go with Thom?"

Alanna sighed and sat down across from him. "Good, in a bad sort of way. I learned valuable information, but I wish that none of it was true."

"I know how ye feel, lass. These are trying times, meant to test our courage and loyalty." Coram spoke with almost rehearsed lines.

Alanna raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And where'd you hear that from?" She was curious at Coram's sudden, almost philosophical, statement.

Coram blushed. "Rispah. She sent me a letter." He pulled it out again and scanned it, almost as if he was looking for something in it. He began to speak again. "She says that Corus is hectic. Roger hasn't managed to round up all of Jon's supporters, and there's been some riots recently. Everyone's feelin' rebellious."

Alanna laughed. "So where is Eleni now? Is she with Myles, or are her and Rispah hiding out with the Court of the Rouge?"

Coram glanced down at the letter again. "Court of the Rouge. Myles didn't want her to follow him; it would just put her in danger."

"I suppose." Alanna stared at the painting over the inn's fireplace. It featured a former King of Tortall. From her history classes with Myles, Alanna remembered him to be King Jasson, Jonathan's grandfather. Alanna shuddered as she looked up into his glistening sapphire eyes, which looked so similar to Roger's that it frightened her. She pulled her eyes away from it, and turned back to Coram.

"Who does that remind you of?" she gestured towards the painting. Coram looked at it and grimaced, making the sign against evil on his chest.

"Gods-cursed, that man is. Ain't natural what that brother of yers did."

"I know Coram, but it can't be changed now." Alanna sighed. "I should be going. I have to catch up with Jon and Thayet."

"Then go. I can take care of Thom fine myself, an' you have other things that you need to be doing." Coram told her.

"I know, but I think that he. . . need s me. He hasn't got a whole much longer. . ."

Coram bowed his head. "I know, but there's nothin' you can do. There's nothing no one can do. It's best he be left alone."

"Very well. I'll leave tonight. Better get some sleep before then. But first, a mug of apple cider." Alanna grinned. "I haven't had any of that since I was at the palace, and it'll help me get to sleep sooner." She got up and waltzed over the bar, taking care to keep her eyes down.

She paid the innkeeper a few silver coins, and he gave her a key to a room, and her mug of cider. She carried them upstairs, and found her room at the end of the hall. She let her self in, and slipped into bed with her cider. She drank all of it in three sips, and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Alanna woke with a start. She jerked from her pillow, and went to the dirty window. She glanced outside, and realized that it was sunset. She marveled at the beauty for a moment, before getting up out of the room. Quietly, she stole her way to Thom's rooms and opened the door.

Thom was awake. "Good-bye, sister dear." He met her eyes, and then said, "I'm afraid this will be the last time that we see each other. Alanna felt tears fill her eyes, and she wiped them from her eyes before her brother could see. "Don't cry Alanna. Death isn't necessarily the ending of everything. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to find my way out of the Black God's Realms."

Alanna smiled a half smile. "Very funny Thom, but I doubt it. No one has ever done that before."

"Yes, Alanna, but no one has ever been able to raise the dead, have they? I imagine it must be similar. . ."

Alanna laughed at Thom, and walked over to her brother's bed. She bent down, and kissed his forehead, hot and clammy from sickness. "Please try to hold on Thom. I love you. " She grabbed her bags and walked out, taking one last look at her twin before leaving.

The tavern had come alive since her time upstairs in her bed. Men sang and drank, the alcohol overpowering their minds. The gamblers had three more added to their number, and two flower girls on their laps. Coram sat at the counter, filling up with mead. Alanna made her way through the sea of people, stopping only once to kick an old drunk who had grabbed out at her. She tapped Coram on the shoulder, and he sluggishly turned.

"No lass, I'm not drunk. I knew ye'd be worrying." Coram gave her a gruff smile. "I wouldn't be careless enough to let anything slip, either."

Alana let out a sigh of relief. "It's nice to se you're trying to control your old. . . habits, Coram." She thought for what felt like the millionth time, that that man knew her all too well. "I had better get going now. Sun's setting."

Coram smiled again. "Goodbye lass. I'll miss ye." He drew her into a small hug, and then looked away, embarrassed.

"I'll miss you too, Coram." She looked up at the older man. "And do try to take care of Thom, will you?"

"Aye lass, I will." Alanna smiled, and disappeared amidst the crowd of tavern goers. She finally arrived at the inn's doors, and pulled them open.

A blast of cold air poured out. She shivered, and closed the doors behind her. Dropping her bags on the ground, she rummaged through them until she found her cloak. She flung the dark material over her shoulders, and closed her bags back up. She found the stables and went inside.

Moonlight was in the stall nearest the door. She was asleep, and Alanna regretted waking her. She rubbed her nose, and grabbed a carrot she found in a bucket outside the stall. She held it under the mare's nose, until the irresistible scent of carrot awakened her. Moonlight took the carrot whole in her mouth, and whinnied her pleasure. Alanna fed her another carrot, and then an apple before going into the stall to saddle her.

As she worked to cinch the saddle tight upon her horse's back, Alanna talked softly to the horse, whispering words of encouragement to her horse. When the saddle was tight, she strapped her bags to Moonlight and led her out of the stall. The stepped out back into the cold of the early night, and Alanna closed the stable doors behind her.

She swung her leg over her horse's back and pulled herself up. Moonlight's body heat added warmth, and spurred Alanna's mind awake. She focused on the road, letting the freedom of the ride embrace her. She rose and fell from the horse's long strides, the wind whistling past her, causing her cloak to billow up.

Alanna fell into a trance from the ride, and jolted out of it when Moonlight came to a sudden halt. She realized how tired her horse must have been, and steered her off the side of the road. Her horse wheezed and coughed, and Alanna groaned. Now, more than ever, did she pray that the Gift worked on animals. Alanna too closed her eyes, and leaned against the birch tree she had walked to.

A flash of purple eyes forced her to open her eyes. A beautiful figure stood before her, her radiant beauty blinding Alanna. Alanna shielded her eyes, and then smiled as she realized who it was.

We're long overdue for another one of our talks. - The Goddess smiled at Alanna.

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Author's Note: Ouch. That took a while for me to get that out. Sorry about that. I have not abandoned this fic, or any of the others for that matter, and I do not intend to. I just have been getting caught up in school and stuff. Please review, and go read my two other stories. (I just got a new one out last night! Go read it, if you haven't already!)

Alanna-of-Olau: Yes, you are right, I should probably add something to it that's happy. It will get happier, though, I just haven't gotten far enough in the story!

treanz-alyce: Thanx for reviewing! (Again!) I still love your fics!


	9. Revelations

_We're long overdue for one of our talks_. . .

The Great Mother Goddess stood in front of Alanna, blinding her with her with her ethereal beauty. Two logs appeared before them, and the Goddess gestured for Alanna to sit. Alanna obeyed, and She did the same.

They sat across from each other, the Goddess studying Alanna's face. -_You have changed, my child, since I last spoke with you. You now know what it is like to live a peasant life, to be in constant fear.- _the Goddess spoke, looking at Alanna with understanding eyes.

Alanna glared at the Goddess. "You knew! You knew this would happen and you didn't tell me! If you had told me, we would have had time to prepare ourselves, or at least arrest them all. Now they're all dead—and the rest of us are on the run!" Realization dawned on her face, and quickly vanished as Alanna's face contorted with anger as she remembered the Goddess's other words.

"You told me that Jonathan would be king! You lied to me! I knew something bad was going to happen, so instead of giving me a warning, you wanted to 'console' me? Is that what you wanted? For me to be 'happier?'"

The Goddess's face betrayed no emotions after Alanna's outburst, just that of blank placidness. –_My dear, tell me again what I told you at our last visit_.-

Alanna slowly talked. "You said that Jonathan. . . would be king."

The Goddess smiled at Alanna. Slowly she stood up, and fire enveloped her body. As Alanna stared, images appeared in the fire. Alanna saw a hungry family, the children crying out for food from lying on the floor, a dog begging for food where there was none. She then saw a child, crying over the bloody and mangled bodies of others. A new image appeared.

There was Roger, on his throne. He wore a crown of black opals, set in gold. Alanna could almost feel the power around it, emitting an aura of strength. As she watched, another figure appeared in the vision. Delia of Eldorne, decked out from head to foot in silk and swathed in enough jewels for all of the court, sashayed over to Roger, a devious look in her green eyes. To Alanna's utter disgust, Roger stood up and kissed her, and she kissed him back. Alanna heard footsteps coming from the image, and the couple jumped apart. A man appeared, escorted by two burly men-at-arms. The man looked to be a commoner from his clothing. "Please, your Majesty, would you extend the courtesy to send out some of your knights? Bandits have attacked my village, and I fear that my family is dead. Please, sir, help us!"

Roger sneered at the man. "What, and pay the knights extra for their services? Your family is already dead, go home and bury them."

The man gasped, and broke out into wild chatter. "Please, please, please, your Majesty, they'll all die, they'll all—" Roger cut the man off.

"Guards, take this man to the execution block. We wouldn't want him to be separated from his family, now would we?" A cold sneer emerged on Roger's face as he watched the guards drag the screaming man away. "Now, where were we?" He spoke to Delia, who promptly placed her lips back upon his.

The image disappeared again as Alanna stared into the flames, where she saw a new image materialize. This time she saw a room, with Roger seated on a plush chair beside a roaring fire. Alanna stared, confused, around the room she saw, and something caught her eye. The image zoomed in, and Alanna could clearly see the Dominion Jewel, placed over the mantle of Roger's fire. The Goddess spoke again. -_You already know your quest, but I shall be adding to it. Before you replace Roger on the throne with the rightful heir, you must retrieve the Dominion Jewel. You now know where it is, and why you must do this. Your friends would be willing to help you, and I have one piece of advice for you: Use all of the help you can get. You cannot complete this task alone, and others are more resourceful than you. Use their talents, as well as your own, to achieve this goal_.-

Alanna blinked, and the Goddess was gone. The only thing that gave evidence that She had ever been there at all was the logs that She and Alanna had sat upon.

* * *

A/N: I apologize profusely for the long delay, and the short chapter. You see, I lost my copy of LR, and I needed to know what exactly the Goddess said to Alanna to complete this chapter. I never did find it, but I went to the bookstore today and reread that small scene. There will be more soon, it is just that I wanted the conversation to be only one chapter long. Sorry! 


End file.
